MAY 2021 • LONGISLANDPRESS.COM 95
OBITUARY
VERONICA RENKEN LEADING LI VOLUNTEER
BY SELIA MERCADO
Veronica B. Renken, who was well known for
her Long Island community service, passed
away at her Garden City home on March 31.
She was 88.
Veronica, known by many as “Ronnie,” was a
beloved wife and a widely respected nonprofit
volunteer on LI who had dedicated her life to the
service of others. An incredibly involved community
member, she chaired the board of Variety
Child Learning Center in Syosset and served on the
boards of United Way of Long Island, Winthrop
University Hospital and Our Lady of Mercy Academy,
her alma mater.
“In the history of United Way of Long Island, Ronnie
was one of the longest-serving members and
volunteers for our organization, spanning four
decades,” Theresa A. Regnante, president and CEO
of United Way of Long Island, wrote in a statement.
“All who had the chance to know Ronnie understood
her deep devotion to our mission — evident,
as she rarely missed a board meeting and was engaged
full time in building an impact agenda with
our agency partners. She seemed to move deftly
between community activism by exercising her
tactical brilliance, and yet it seemed she always
preserved her fierce integrity.”
Regnante added, “On a personal note, I met
Ronnie in 1987, my first year with United Way.
She was a fantastic mentor, a cheerleader to the
staff and … Ronnie was a pioneer, opening doors
to leadership for women in the nonprofit sector.
She will be dearly missed.”
Renken had received a plethora of awards
throughout her life for her services within the
community, notably being honored by National
Society of Fundraising Executives LI Chapter as
an Outstanding Volunteer in 1991, recognized
by Garden City as Citizen of the Year in 1994
and receiving the Gilbert Tillis Award from
the Association of Fundraising Professionals
in 2004. She was also honored several times for
her work in patient care at Winthrop University
Hospital in the 1970s, where she led the Women’s
Auxiliary and served as a member of the board
of directors.
The burial took place at Holy Rood Cemetery,
111 Old Country Rd., Garden City, where she
was buried beside her late husband, Martin H.
Renken.
RONNIE RENKEN
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